Aussies are no pushovers; we played better cricket than them – Mathews As history beckons Sri Lanka for a 3-nil Test series clean sweep of Australia, Sri Lankan Skipper Angelo Mathews, addressing the Media on the eve of Saturday’s final Test at the SSC, the team did step up the accelerator sounding that the course of the match would revolve around spin. “Although the SSC has been traditionally known to favour batsmen, in recent times it has proved to be spin friendly in a departure from the past,” he announced. Mathews was spot on the task ahead echoing none other than Sri Lanka’s 1996 world cup hero Aravinda De Silva’s sentiments that this was a ‘now or never’ opportunity for… Read More →

Coming out of the woods from a recent holocaust of series losses including away in England, in cleaning up the world No. 1 Test nation Australia in the first two tests, the second at Galle in a record two and a half days by a mammoth 229 runs, has signaled Sri Lanka walking the talk. Indeed, for the Sri Lankan cricket hierarchy headed by incumbent President, Thilanga Sumathipala, Sri Lanka beginning to sing in an ominous stroll to already clinching the 3-Test series against Australia is a reflection of the goods delivered in a short time. The selection policy courtesy chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya in mainly a mixture of youth with a few available experienced players like skipper Angelo Mathews,… Read More →

Sri Lanka U-19 257 for 7 (Asalanka 70, Ashan 60*) beat England U-19 149 (Holden 40, Silva 3-28) by 108 runs England’s Under-19s received another blow from Sri Lanka youth as they were beaten by 108 runs in the first match of the Royal London One-Day Series at Wormsley. England were dismissed for 149 after restricting the tourists to 257 for 7, losing their last eight wickets for 53 – seven of them shared by Sri Lanka’s three spinners. Sri Lanka’s captain Charith Asalanka picked up where he had left off in Northampton, striking 70 from 96 balls with eight fours. England suffered two early setbacks in their reply when George Hankins and George Bartlett, were undone by seamer Thilan Prasan. But the loss of… Read More →

Sri Lanka’s most successful fast bowler Chaminda Vaas will be back with Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) Coaching Staff, revealed SLC President Hon. Thilanga Sumathipala today. Vaas will be Sri Lanka Cricket’s Lead Fast Bowling Coach. President stated that, Vaas will be handed the responsibilities of training Sri Lanka’s fast bowling squad which will comprise fast bowlers coming through District, Provincial and Developments Squads. “We have requested Vaas to start working with us from the end of this month” said President of SLC.

Not forgetting the support staff @sanath07 and all selectors and @OfficialSLC and all the fans for backing us right throughout.#grateful — Angelo Mathews (@Angelo69Mathews) August 6, 2016 Massive effort by the boys.dilruwan was brilliant,@HerathRSL and all others chipped in to get this win.So proud and thankful to my boys! — Angelo Mathews (@Angelo69Mathews) August 6, 2016

Dilruwan Perera’s six-wicket haul on the third morning helped Sri Lanka seal a historic 229-run win over Australia in the second Test at the Galle International Stadium on Saturday (August 6). Dilruwan ended with figures of 6 for 70 and a match-haul of 10 for 99, as Australia was bowled out for 183 in its second innings, chasing a big target of 413. Dilruwan also became the first Sri Lanka cricketer to hit a half-century and bag 10 wickets in the same Test. The win, coming on the heels of a 106-run win in the second Test, gave Sri Lanka a 2-0 lead in the three-match series and its first series win over Australia in 17 years, with the previous one having… Read More →

In many ways it was a historic win beating the might of the world – the Australians at Pallekelle in the first Test match given the heavy odds Sri Lanka braved. That the young colts or the young ones played a significant role in the 106-run triumph with the 25-year old Lakshan Sandakan with his match figures of 7 for emerged as a new Murali in the bag for Sri Lanka was fantastic. Putting the efforts of Sandakan, the discovery from Ragama and batsman Kusal Mendis for his 176 run marathon effort into one basket together with Dananjaya de Silva’s utility effort of 32 runs and a vital breakthrough was magnificent stuff. Enter the Trojan Rangana Herath’s 9 wicket match… Read More →

Sri Lanka Cricket youth made England Under-19s suffer their first home defeat in six years in a four-day match as an outstanding bowling performance by Lahiru Kumara fired Sri Lanka to a seven-wicket victory in Northampton and clinch the series 1-0. Lahiru Kumara claimed four more wickets as England were bowled out for 192 in their second innings. Lahiru finished with match figures of 11 for 134, and left Sri Lanka needing only 94 for victory. Sri Lanka youth knocked them off for the loss of three wickets, meaning they win the two-match series 1-0 after England enjoyed the better of a rain-affected draw in Cambridge last week. England’s last home four-day defeat had also come against Sri Lanka in… Read More →

Australia began day two of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Friday (August 5) on 54 for 2. At stumps, it was 25 for 3, with 21 wickets having fallen on a day that had Rangana Herath taking a hat-trick and Mitchell Starc returning 6 for 50 for match figures of 11 for 94. However, with Australia having been set a target of 413 for an unlikely series-levelling win, it was the home side who was in prime position to force a series-clinching win. At stumps, David Warner (22 not out) was holding fort with Steven Smith, the captain, who was unbeaten on 1. But Australia still needs another 388 runs with only seven wickets standing. Australia’s… Read More →

Mitchell Starc, Australia’s pace spearhead, bagged a five-wicket haul to help bowl Sri Lanka out for 281 on the first day of the second Test in Galle on Thursday (August 4). Starc, who took his 100th Test wicket when he dismissed the in-form Kusal Mendis for 86, finished with figures of 5 for 44, keeping the visitor well in the hunt for a series-levelling win. It was the fifth time Starc had taken five or more wickets in a Test innings. Australia reached 54 for 2 in reply at stumps, rocked by the dismissal off what turned out to be the last ball of the day of David Warner. Warner had bludgeoned his way to a 41-ball 42 when Dilruwan Perera… Read More →

Nonchalance is the simple descriptive word of Sri Lanka’s new batting star Kusal Mendis. If his two half centuries either way in his debut Test match against England in the leanest of low Fahrenheit weather conditions and the other an elastic like 77 in an ODI including a couple of low but buttressing scores were stock raising, his 176 run marathon epoch match winning knock against the Australians indeed heralded the new prince of Sri Lanka batting. That nonchalance of temperament in execution of exquisite stroke play underwrote an early batting genius to a certain extent must pale out some of his predecessors who did the job for Sri Lanka. Authority was stamped all over the colt as he moved… Read More →